5 Different Technological Breakthroughs for the Egyptians

The Egyptians have had many breakthroughs that have paved the way for things that we use everyday. Here are my top five that I think are the most significant.

1. Hieroglyphics

Hieroglyphics were an extremely important invention for the Egyptians. Hieroglyphics are actually one of the few reasons why we know so much about their society and how they lived. Since the hieroglyphics themselves are very intricate and almost impossible for the average person to understand, we did not know much about them for quite a while. Thankfully, a man named Jean-François Champollion, who understood many different languages, helped convert these hieroglyphs into English. He also was the man to realize that these symbols, not only told a story, but had a sound almost like letters. Hieroglyphs were one of the earliest writings in history, and if you take a minute to realize how important words and communication through writing is in our daily life, you'll be amazed at where it was started.

2. Pyramids

Pyramids were another amazing creation of the ancient Egyptians. The architecture and engineerings skills it took to build these were way beyond there time. It is still completely understood how these pyramids could be built during that ancient time, and some even believe they were built by aliens from another world. The pyramid's main two purposes were for cult and funerary. The cult temples were for images of gods and idols to be stored and the funerary were for burial sites for past kings. These kings would have been buried with all of their belongings and even servants to have with them when they were resurrected in the after life. They are not important in our society other than a tourist site, but they were very important to the Egyptian culture.

3. Egyptian Astronomy

The ancient Egyptians were very advanced when it came to astronomy. They were aware that a calendar year consisted of about 365 days. They also knew that a day was 24 hours and divided it in half for day and night.These skills were very important because they needed to know that every July the Nile would flood and every October it left behind rich soil. They were also very good at charting the skies and dividing it into sections. This was very helpful for telling time.

4. Plow

The ancient Egyptians have been credited with the invention of the plow as from as early as 4000 BC. The plows were very light and could not dig deep into the earth. The early plows were mainly used by men. Later versions of these plows show that they were hooked up to oxen to make them more efficient and put less work on men. These plows helped the ancient Egyptians be better at farming. Plows are still used in todays farming society.

5. Eye Makeup

The Egyptians invented the first form of makeup in 4000 B.C.. They used different types of minerals and kohl to create a black outline of their eyes to protect them from the son. This is something that some women still use today for cosmetic purposes. Back in the time of the Egyptians, makeup was not just for women mostly because it was for medical purposes. Putting the makeup around their eyes was thought to prevent or cure diseases. Wearing a lot of makeup also showed that you were part of the upper class.